Nate Murphy with the hadrosaur specimen "Roberta" (Brachylophosaurus canadensis)
Murphy's tale is tragic, his downfall fueled by ambition, greed, lies, and theft. He is waiting for sentencing, and faces 5 years in jail. He lied to nearly everyone involved except his own son; lied to landowners, volunteers, coworkers, paleontologists, and the authorities.
Nate Murphy continues to do bad science. In March of 2013, the Dino Lab in Billings, MT was the site of a little Homeland Security sting operation. They had been tipped off he had Chinese/Mongolian fossils. They found two. They were confiscated. It seemed a repeat of his previous offense was forthcoming. This time he paid for a better attorney (well, he has yet to pay. They threatened harrasment and Homeland backed off. He has yet to pay his original attorney, because the case was lost. Such a lovely man. Only half of what he says is truthful.
ReplyDeleteWhen I knew him even less than half half of his rhetoric was truthful.
DeleteMy son and I found the fossil Roberta in 2001 with Nate Murphy on his expedition. He promised my eleven-year-old son a cast of the head of this duckbill dinosaur. That was 16 years ago, haven't received the cast.
ReplyDeleteYou never will. He makes promises in the moment that he can't fullfil. Part of his grandiose nature.
DeleteI think more should be published as to the labor and expense invested by the the Murphy clan to get this priceless specimen out of its sandy grave, completely intact, and placing it before the "scientific community" for dissection and exploration. This is not the first time that federal and "educational" forces have been marshaled against the discoverers of seminal fossils or artifacts to discredit and vilify those who have actually found and preserved these treasures. This smacks of professional jealousy, wrongful prosecution and the persecution of citizens who strive to discover the truth of our planet's history. While I greatly respect the right of the PhD's to study and publish their opinions on this important find, the resulting criminal prosecution of the discoverer, iIMHO, stains the entire enterprise beyond redemption. I challenge the editor(s) of this publication to investigate and publish the records of the proceedings in this matter......unless they have been illegally removed from preservation. Were these jury trials? Who were the private landowners? What was the nature of the Murphy offense? I ask these questions because the remainder of the individuals involved with this discovery will all profit from it; the PhD's will gain fame, recognition and tenure, the museums will reap profits from the display and the authorities involved will all get the "nod" from those nebulous forces that have replaced the American Public's control of its government and their lands. This is CENSURE in its worst fashion and anyone involved in the further exploitation of Leonardo should be discredited (check the meaning) by it.
ReplyDeleteIf Nate Murphy wants recognition for his efforts, than perhaps he shouldn't have lied, cheated, and stolen his way through life. At a minimum, it would have prevented a prison sentence.
ReplyDeleteI think "Anonymous" might just be Nate Murphy trying to be slick...
DeleteHe did get his huge new camper trailer stolen. The thief got thieved! Isn't karma fun? It's nice to see it happen to the deserving.
DeleteHe didn't go to actual prison. He spent from Sept. to March at the Alpha House in Billings. All the while he complained to friends, family, and case worker that he didn't belong there with all the "druggies". He was liked enough though, that he violated many of the rules and got away with it. He needed actual hard time (and even then he would blame someone else).
DeleteNo.He can't write a coherent sentence. But, he does have a remnant of his deluded fan club left that might have written the comment about censure.
ReplyDelete